New Data Finds Patient Experience Hits a Five-Year High, Though Inequity and Generational Differences Remain
New Data Finds Patient Experience Hits a Five-Year High, Though Inequity and Generational Differences Remain
New data uncovers opportunities to personalize care and improve journeys across the healthcare continuum.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Press Ganey, the leading provider of experience measurement, analytics, and insights to health systems and health plans, has released new data on the patient experience. Analyzing feedback from 6.5 million patient encounters in the U.S., the report provides insight into how patients feel about healthcare experiences today, informing strategies for how healthcare organizations can drive patient trust and loyalty.
While patients nationwide report improved healthcare experiences, a deeper analysis shows that disparities persist by region, demographics, and care settings, illustrating that a one-size-fits-all approach to improving patient experience has inherent limitations.
Key findings include:
- Patient experience is on the rise, but not universally. Patients reported more positive perceptions of their care in 2023 compared to the previous year, with experience in ambulatory surgery and medical practices hitting five-year highs (85.3 and 84.1 out of 100, respectively). While hospitals and emergency departments are improving, they haven't yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
- Hidden inequities shape PX. Underrepresented populations in the inpatient setting report substantially lower perceptions of empathy and personalization of care. In medical practices, these gaps are even more pronounced. Non-White patients universally report lower scores than the average, with a 7-point gap between White and Asian patients.
- Gen Z and millennials are being left behind. Gen Z and millennial patients want more information about conditions, medications, and treatments, but that need isn’t being met. Younger patients report lower perceptions of experience—their “likelihood to recommend” scores show a 7.7-point gap between patients age 18–34 and those in the 65–79 age range.
- Regions that have historically lagged behind are seeing the most improvement. AHA region 2 (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) improved the most YOY—jumping +1.8 points to 67.2. But AHA region 7 (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas) still leads the pack, with a +0.7 gain to hit 72.9. Nevada continues to hold the #1 spot for patient experience, rising +2.3 points to 78.5.
The report includes recommended strategies to improve patient experience, including using segmented data to provide more personalized care to patients by considering demographics, care settings and specialty. Healthcare organizations that lead in patient experience also recognize the importance of continuously listening to patients and their employees so they can make timely and targeted improvements.
“Data holds the key to driving meaningful improvements, helping healthcare organizations personalize care, address disparities, and create exceptional experiences for all patients,” said Patrick Ryan, Press Ganey’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Top-scoring organizations in patient experience embrace data-driven strategies to break down silos, pinpoint areas for improvement, and identify what’s working well.”
To read the full report, visit: pressganey.com/px24
Press Ganey
Press Ganey partners with healthcare providers and health plans to improve the experiences of their patients and workforce by marrying data with unparalleled technology and expertise. Our HX platform unites and enlivens disparate data, enabling clients to gather, analyze, visualize, and act on key insights to retain employees and ensure the care journey is accessible, safe, equitable, and patient-centered. We are the trusted partner to over 41,000 healthcare provider organizations globally and 85% of health plans in the United States. Press Ganey is a PG Forsta company.
PG Forsta
PG Forsta is a leading provider of experience measurement, data analytics and insights for healthcare and other complex industries. Our Press Ganey healthcare suite is the most widely adopted experience, clinical and safety solutions for providers, payers and life sciences organizations. Our Human Experience platform for enterprises, which includes an award-winning “voice of the customer” solution, powers the world’s leading brands and 9 out of 10 global market research agencies.
